Last Updated on November 10, 2010 3:35 am by Anthony Rome
Texas A&M vs. Baylor Preview
WACO, TX – Texas A&M has made a remarkable turnaround on defense this season under first-year coordinator and assistant head coach Tim DeRuyter.
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Baylor has made a similar improvement on the offensive side of the ball.
Looking to win four straight in Big 12 play for the first time in four seasons, the 23rd-ranked Aggies try to continue their push up the South standings on Saturday night at Baylor.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sportsbook.com have made Texas A&M –3 point spread favorites for Saturday’s game against Baylor. Current NCAA Public Betting Information shows that 51% of more than 1,497 bets for this game have been placed on Baylor +3.
After ranking 105th in the FBS last season in total defense with 426.3 yards per game, the Aggies (6-3, 3-2) are allowing just 346.9 in 2010. Switching to a 3-4 defense, Texas A&M is giving up 21.2 points per game – far better than the 33.5 allowed in finishing 6-7 in 2009.
DeRuyter, hired in January following three seasons as defensive coordinator at Air Force, has been instrumental in this defensive upgrade. With the Aggies on their way to a 33-19 victory against then-No. 11 Oklahoma last Saturday, the fans at Kyle Field chanted, “Wreck-ing Crew, Wreck-ing Crew,” evoking memories of A&M’s famed defenses of the late 1980s and 1990s.
“The more we do the more the fans are going to point to us as the new Wrecking Crew,” safety Trent Hunter said after the Aggies won their third straight following a three-game skid.
Senior linebacker Michael Hodges has been one of the faces of this new Wrecking Crew. Hodges, who left the Air Force Academy before DeRuyter’s first season there in 2007, recorded two sacks and a career-high 19 tackles last Saturday. It was the most tackles by an Aggie since current linebackers coach Dat Nguyen had 20 in the 1998 Cotton Bowl.
“It’s an indescribable feeling to hear the fans screaming that for us,” said Hodges, named Big 12 defensive player of the week for his efforts. “That’s a goal of ours and we took a big step toward that today.”
The Aggies, whose last four-game winning streak was capped with a 31-21 victory at Baylor on Oct. 28, 2006, will face a much different Bears team than the one they routed 38-3 at College Station on Nov. 21.
Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III, who missed that matchup with a knee injury, leads the conference and ranks third in the nation with 327.5 yards of total offense per game.
“The quarterback can take off and run and take it the distance anytime he wants to,” said Aggies coach Mike Sherman, whose team is tied with Oklahoma for third in the South.
With Griffin under center, Baylor (7-3, 4-2) is ninth in the FBS with 487.8 yards per game, an improvement of almost 145 from last season. The Bears are 26th in the nation in scoring at 33.7 points per game after averaging 20.8 in 2009.
Despite his brilliant sophomore season, Griffin did not throw a TD for the first time this year in last Saturday’s 55-28 loss at then-No. 19 Oklahoma State that dropped the Bears from the top 25 and into sole possession of second place in the South.
“If my math is right I think there is still a good chance,” said coach Art Briles about winning the division. “Our focus right now, honestly, is getting ready to play well next week against Texas A&M at home. That is our focus.
“We have to get this taste out of our mouth.”
Jay Finley, who has averaged 150.0 yards with seven TDs in the last four games, keys a Bears rushing attack that has averaged 223.5 yards in that span.
Baylor, though, will face a Texas A&M run defense ranked sixth in the FBS with 92.3 yards per game – nearly half its 2009 total of 171.6.
Texas A&M junior Ryan Tannehill, a converted wide receiver, is expected to make his third career start at quarterback Saturday. Since taking over for senior Jerrod Johnson, Tannehill has completed 68.4 percent of his passes with nine TDs and three interceptions.
Tannehill caught four passes for a team-high 40 yards and a TD in last season’s win over Baylor.
Aggies running back Cyrus Gray will go for his fourth straight 100-yard game after running for a season-high 122 with a TD last Saturday. Gray ran for 107 in last season’s win over Baylor.
Texas A&M, which leads the all-times series 66-31-9, lost 41-21 in its last game in Waco on Nov. 15, 2008.
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